South up in arms about Nami’s London trip

South up in arms about Nami’s London trip

The Greek Cypriot Ministry of Foreign Affairs has condemned a meeting held at the House of Commons in London between the British Minister for Europe David Lidington and the “so-called foreign minister of the Turkish Cypriot puppet regime Ozdil Nami”, ‘Famagusta Gazette’ reports.

The Ministry note says that the meeting took place “despite the intense and repeated representations of the Republic of Cyprus at various levels, which were not heeded by London.”

The South’s Foreign Ministry said in its press release that “such meetings violate UN Security Council resolutions 541 and 550, which the United Kingdom drafted and promoted,” and expressed “deep sadness and disappointment.”

“The response of the Foreign Office and the explanations given by the British High Commission in Nicosia to questions made by journalists, that they (the British) do not recognize the pseudostate, cannot be considered as satisfying,” the press release added, noting that “the non-recognition of the pseudostate by London serves British interests as well.”

As regards London’s position that the aim of the UK government is to maintain contacts with both communities in Cyprus, the Foreign Ministry said that the only result of the meeting between Lidington and Nami was that it gave the latter the opportunity to play the blame game and call himself “a foreign minister” who holds high-level contacts.